Adult Diaper Reviews

Updated May 2015

If you or a loved one has to deal with ongoing or occasional incontinence, you know how important it is to find a product that allows someone to go about their daily routine in comfort while providing the best protection. Drawing on expert advice and owner reviews, our report on adult diapers recommends the best incontinence products for users with differing needs, while providing important shopping tips for making the right choice.

Best adult diaper

Widely regarded as one of the best high-absorbency adult diapers, the Molicare Super Plus brief is an excellent answer to daily incontinence. Its super-absorbent core makes it ideal for overnight use or heavy bladder and bowel leakage, and reviewers say the padded panels make for a comfortable fit. These briefs also feature DryPlus polymer fiber filling and standing anti-leak guards for containment. All in all, expect both protection and comfort.
See our full review

Adult diapers for extended wear

If you need an adult diaper for heavy incontinence or for extended wear -- up to 10 hours or more -- the Dry Care ConfiDry 24/7 should receive serious consideration. These land at the top of the charts in testing for absorbency, and experts laud their comfort and performance. Fit is described as comfortable and accurate, and Dry Care ConfiDry are among the most absorbent products you can buy. If there's a downside, it's that these are relatively bulky, and that the plastic shell is a little noisier than most, so the self-conscious might be hesitant to wear them for all occasions.

Discreet budget adult diapers

Attends Briefs Waistband Style adult diaper has an absorbent core that's effective for light to moderate incontinence, and the elasticized waistband allows for a customized, comfortable fit. It's discreet enough to wear under most clothing without detection, giving added piece of mind to the self-conscious. Though not rated as highly by some as premium adult diapers, Attends Briefs are also substantially less expensive than other top choices.
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Best pull-on disposable underwear

For those with mild to moderate incontinence, Abena Abri-Flex Premium Air Plus pull on disposable underwear provide both protection and dignity. Just like standard underwear, they can be pulled on and off -- or can be torn away quickly for easy clean up. Elastic in the waistband assures a good fit, while elastic in the crotch prevents leakage.
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Best overnight pull-on underwear

Tranquility Premium Overnight Underwear garners high praise from owners and expert reviewers alike for its good absorbency, comfortable fit and ease of use. Absorbency is excellent and the pull-ons are available in a wide range of sizes. Though their thickness makes them best for overnight uses, those with heavy incontinence could consider them as an alternative to a standard adult diaper.
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Best disposable incontinence pads

Whether you need a little protection, or a lot, there's a size and absorbency of Abena Abri-San Premium incontinence pads to meet your needs. You can use it with close fitting standard underwear for maximum discreetness. Capacity varies greatly by size, yet is good considering the relative slimness of each.
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Best booster for added protection

If you're in need of an extra dose of protection, the Tranquility TopLiner Booster Pad can extend the capacity of your primary diaper, helping you get through the day without needing a change. The pad's design allows it to fill first, and only transfer liquid to a host diaper once its capacity is exhausted.
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See a side-by-side comparison of key features, product specs, and prices.

Protection differs among various styles of adult diapers

Millions of adults struggle with chronic fecal or urinary incontinence on a daily basis. Fortunately, there's a wealth of quality products on the market designed to meet their needs.

The most common solution to total bowel or bladder control loss is the brief-style disposable adult diaper. Of all the types of incontinence products out there, these protective undergarments offer the most consistent leakage protection, the highest absorbency and the most security. They generally feature a cloth-like or plastic outer surface, a highly absorbent inner core, leg elastics, and either tape tabs or hook-and-loop fasteners. Our editors found that brief products by Abena, Attends, NorthShore and Molicare consistently outshine other competitors in this category.

Alternatively, pull-on disposable protective underwear products work like regular undergarments by pulling on and off, and they are meant to offer more dignity and freedom than brief-style diapers. However, they often don't have the capacity or protection to handle severe incontinence.

Disposable incontinence pads, much like female menstrual pads, are designed to be worn inside regular underwear. They are generally not absorbent enough to protect against major bowel incontinence, but they can provide adequate protection against urinary incontinence.

Absorbency booster pads are worn inside a primary diaper for supplementary protection. When they fill to capacity, wetness passes through them and into the host garment, extending the longevity of the main diaper. Many people with severe incontinence rely on booster pads for extra overnight protection.

When it comes to adult incontinence products, the general rule is that high absorbency comes at the cost of discreetness. For the most part, the higher a diaper's capacity, the bulkier it's going to look under clothing. It's almost always a trade-off, although some are slightly less conspicuous than others.

Finding the best adult diapers

There isn't a lot of informative testing out there on adult diapers, and we based much of our findings on owner reviews and ratings. The best website by far for testing and reviews is XPMedical.com, an online retailer specializing in incontinence products. Owner Gary Evans and a small staff perform exhaustive testing on their products, and their ratings have a good reputation in the online adult diaper community. Their diaper reviews are detailed and specific, and information on each style includes wet and dry measurements, features, results of wetting and rewetting tests, cost per diaper and comments on overall quality and effectiveness. We also considered the reviews done at IncontinenceSupport.info. They are more anecdotal than scientific, and we'd be happier if we knew more about those who administer the site, but the reviews are based on hands-on testing and cover most aspects of what those who need adult diapers should know before making a selection.

To name the best-reviewed adult diapers, we considered performance (how well the diaper retains contents, how well it absorbs fluids and how well it protects against leaks), ease of use (comfort, fit, convenience of removal) and odor absorption (whether the product neutralizes odor and how long the protection lasts). Our top picks for disposable briefs, pull-on underwear, incontinence pads and booster pads all receive favorable reviews from experts and strong feedback from owners.

Elsewhere in this report:

Best Disposable Briefs: Disposable briefs -- also known as adult diapers -- are the most popular type of incontinence product. These are the ones that rate best according to users and experts.

Best Pull-On Underwear: For mild incontinence issues, pull-on underwear provides protection while preserving a little more freedom. Incontinence pads can provide some extra protection as well.

Buying Guide: Not sure where to start to find the right incontinence product for you or a loved one? These pointers can help make shopping easier.

Our Sources: These are the user and expert reviews we relied on to find the best adult diapers and other incontinence products. They are ranked in the order of their helpfulness.

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